An embodiment relates generally to identifying detection of faults and anomalies in the service repair data.
Service providers, such as service department at a dealership, diagnose issues in the vehicle electronics with the aid of service diagnostic tools that utilize diagnostic software algorithms. Diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) are set in the vehicle based on diagnostic software algorithms. The service diagnostic tools retrieves DTCs from a vehicle processor memory and are used to determine the fault in the vehicle. Each of the processors in the vehicle includes a memory that stores DTCs when the vehicle experiences a fault and is detected. The service technician can review the current or history of any DTCs for determining the root cause in the vehicle. DTCs are alphanumeric codes that are used to identify a fault that occurs in various components within the vehicle. Such DTCs are related to various electrical vehicle functions that include, but are not limited to, engine operation, emissions, braking, powertrain, safety, and steering. Each subsystem may have its own on-board processor for monitoring faults of the subsystem operation or a processor may be responsible for monitoring faults for a plurality of subsystems. When the subsystem processor detects a fault, one or more DTCs are generated.
The DTCs assist the service technician in pinpointing the area of concern. DTCs are retrieved by the service technician with the aid of a scan tool. Although the DTC provides assistance to the technician in pinpointing the area of concern, the DTC does not provide definitive information as to what exactly caused the problem. Usually, a DTC indicates a fault either in a specific component, circuit connecting component to the control module or in the control module itself. Now, it is still up to the technician to identify the root cause by performing further electrical circuit tests, utilize analytical reasoning, prior experience, or a best guess. Hence, DTCs provides diagnostics only up to certain extent, additional diagnostic resolution could be obtained only via performing additional field tests and collecting additional operating parameter data from the vehicle. Sometimes, the algorithm generating the DTC may have an error in and provide an incorrect diagnostic to the technician. In addition, the DTCs may exhibit intermittent behavior which is hard to fix by technicians due to absence of the DTC setting operating conditions. Intermittent behavior of faults is those instances when a fault is triggered and recorded; however, the fault conditions cannot be repeated at the service repair center.
The scan tool may further retrieve on-board diagnostic operating parameter identifiers (PIDs) for determining specific information output by a sensor or similar device. A PID code is an operating parameter of a component that is recorded via the scan tool which is transmitted by reading from the communication bus of the vehicle. One of the devices on the communication bus recognizes the PID code for which it is responsible and sends back information relating to the PID code for which further details relating to one or more of the devices sensing data relating to the detected fault. However, the number of PIDs relating to a DTC may be quite numerous and a service personnel randomly analyzing the PID codes is time consuming as well as burdensome.